The Anniversary
by Xennie.B
Summary: It's a rather special date and Ianto thinks Jack has forgotten. Written for Livejournal's Jantocam Challenge #2, February 2010


Written for Jantocam Challenge 2 at Livejournal**  
**

* * *

Ianto shifted his grip on Mica making sure she didn't slip from her piggyback ride as they walked through the park towards the playground. She was getting way too big for him to be carrying around but she really did have him wrapped around her little finger, David was running ahead of them but Mica was quite happy to have her uncle carry her. Placing her on the ground when they go to the playground she kissed his cheek before running off.

Ianto flopped down into the nearby bench ignoring the pretty young mother nearby who tried to catch his eye. He wasn't in the mood to deal with people right now.

Today was supposed to be a nice day with him, Jack, something romantic, today was the one year anniversary of Jack moving in with him. Instead he found himself babysitting his niece and nephew while Rhiannon had a girl's day out with her friends.

Why was he here? Because Jack was the most unromantic git Ianto had ever met. He hadn't even remembered.

Ianto had it all planned: the others were going to watch the rift so they could have the day off. Then breakfast in bed, a quiet morning in before driving up to Barry, lunch at a nice little cafe up there, the afternoon at the beach before coming home. Depending on how they felt they could go out to dinner or eat in and then Ianto had champagne, strawberries and melting chocolate for afterwards.

Ianto had woken to a cold bed, no note and Jack's phone was turned off.

Two hours later Jack called. He was in London, talking to UNIT and wanted Ianto to join him by the afternoon to help record and finalize anything they decided. Said to meet him at his hotel with absolutely no mention of what today was.

Rhiannon rang half an hour after Jack asking him to babysit today. The champagne was returned to the wine cellar, the chocolate and strawberries were given to Mica and David when he'd picked them up. Jack could sit there and wait for him.

Ianto was still lost in his annoyed thought when David and Mica ran up to him; he quickly covered his mood with a smile for his niece and nephew. It wasn't their fault their 'uncle' Jack was an ass.

"Uncle Ianto, isn't that your work car?" David asked pointing across the park to one of the side roads.

Ianto followed his gaze and there on the other side was the Torchwood SUV. Even if the kids didn't understand exactly what he did for work, they'd seen the SUV enough times when he and Jack had visited and David had taken an instant like to the 'mega cool car'. He wondered if he should go over and see if they needed help but he quickly dismissed it; they would have called if they needed help.

"Will Uncle Jack be over there?" Mica asked staring at the car so she missed her uncle's wince.

"No honey Uncle Jack's working away at the moment," Ianto replied running his hand through her hair as she rested her head on his arm.

"If you and Uncle Jack are away though who's driving the SUV?" David asked curiously.

"Well, either Owen, Gwen or Tosh," Ianto shrugged realizing his mistake too late as Mica shot off across the park towards the SUV.

"TOSHIE!!"

"Mica!" David yelled running after his sister.

"Damnit!" Ianto swore running after both of them.

* * *

Tosh watched as Owen stomped towards the SUV ahead of them the lower part of his jeans covered in mud and god only knows what from where he'd waded through the duck pond to fetch the alien junk which had arrived.

All her scans had come back safe, there was an 85% chance is was a useless piece of junk but she hadn't told him that. They couldn't leave things lying around no matter how useless they were.

"I am so glad he pulled the short straw, there's no way he's going to get that smell out anytime soon," Gwen mused keeping her voice low so Owen wouldn't hear them.

Tosh was just about to respond when something smacked into and wrapped around her leg, if it wasn't for Gwen's quick reflexes she probably would have fallen.

The two women looked down to see the grinning face of Mica Davies where she stood arms wrapped around Tosh, grinning up at the women. "Toshi! Gwen!"

"Hello Mica, what are you doing here?" Gwen asked dropping to the young girl's level.

"Causing trouble,"

Gwen and Tosh looked up to see David jog over to them scowling at Mica in the way only a big brother could. What caught their attention though was the man calmly walking up behind David.

"Ianto what are you doing here?" Gwen asked in surprise.

"Looking after these two so Rhi can have a Girls day," Ianto shrugged smiling down at where Mica was still hugging Tosh. He'd introduced them when Mica had discovered her love for computers but was having trouble with her school work, Tosh had become her unofficial tutor and now Mica idolized her.

"Why aren't you with Jack in London? Shouldn't you be there by now," Tosh asked tentatively.

Ianto scowled "Jack can do his own paperwork for once."

"Wow Tea-boy's grown some backbone," Owen smirked walking over.

"I don't even want to know what you're covered in, but if you get it or the smell of it anywhere you better clean it up," Ianto replied coolly.

"I stand corrected, Tea-boy's found a fucking pissy mood," Owen scowled

"Owen! Watch your language!" Gwen snapped.

"Don't worry about it, Tad says worse all the time," David shrugged.

"And Mam hits him for it," Mica giggled and the others smiled at her.

"Ianto, Jack really wanted you to go with him," Tosh said.

"And I really wanted to have a nice day with him but since he forgot what today was he can forget having me working for him in bloody London."

Tosh and Gwen exchanged worried looks as Owen walked off towards the SUV muttering about 'idiot captains' and stupid 'tea-boys'.

"The London trip has nothing to do with UNIT or work," Tosh explained.

"He didn't forget what today was Ianto," Gwen added.

Ianto stared between the two women as what they said began to sink in.

"Can you look after these two for me? Rhiannon will come pick them up from here in an hour, I've got to go," Ianto said turning and running towards his car.

"Drive Safe!!" Gwen called after him.

By the time he got to London he'd be over two hours late he just hoped Jack forgave him.

* * *

Jack sat on the edge of a fountain staring out across the river, the lights of the bridge reflecting across the water in the fading light. Ianto hadn't turned up he'd stood in the hotel lobby feeling like a fool for an hour before he walked out. He wasn't even sure how he got here but it required a lot of walking while lost in thought.

Why hadn't Ianto come? Didn't he remember what today was? Maybe he was just being a sentimental fool, maybe the one year anniversary of them moving in together wasn't worth a big fuss.

Jack twirled the long stem red rose he was holding, the last of the dozen, its brothers were floating in the fountain behind him. A small box in his pocket felt like a lead stone, cold, hard and unforgiving. Now what was he supposed to do.

* * *

Ianto bit his lip as he stared at the form of his lover, guilt tearing at his heart. Jack was dressed in the suit Ianto had bought him, it had been a joke but Jack had taken it to heart promising to wear it when he found a special occasion for it.

By the time he'd gotten to the hotel Jack had already left, he'd ended up calling Tosh to have her track his phone so he could find the other man. He found him sitting alone dressed in the suit holding a rose. Ianto had been a fool.

Walking slowly towards him, Jack didn't even look up as Ianto stopped beside him too lost in thought as he stared at the rose. Leaning forward Ianto held the take away coffee he'd picked up as an apology in front of Jack as he ran his hand through Jack's hair and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't know," Jack replied with a shrug as he took the coffee but still didn't look up at Ianto.

Ianto sighed taking a seat beside Jack on the fountain's ledge, "I thought you'd forgotten, I'd made plans and then when I woke up and you were gone I was so mad."

"Gwen and Tosh helped me plan all this, I figured one of them would have slipped up by now. I should have come up with a better excuse to get you here than work,"

"It was a good excuse, if I hadn't been so mad I would have been here; have you ever seen me abandon you when you have to deal with UNIT?"

"Your right my excuse would have worked, you should work on that temper of yours Mr. Jones," Jack teased finally turning to look at Ianto.

"I am sorry," Ianto repeated turning his head as Jack leaned in to kiss him, accepting his apology.

"We make quite a pair don't we?" Jack mused, passing Ianto his rose and lifting his arm to pull Ianto into his side.

"We always have," Ianto replied wrapping his arms around Jack, resting his head on his shoulders.

"I want us to keep doing it," Jack replied reaching into his pocket and passing the small box to Ianto.

Ianto stared at the box in his hand in surprise before his eyes flew back to Jack's face.

"This wasn't how I planned it but nothing we do ever goes to plan," Jack replied pressing a soft kiss to Ianto's lips as he flipped open the box.

Ianto gazed down at the two rings nestled in the box. Snapping it closed so they couldn't fall out he threw his arms around Jack's neck and kissed him properly.

"Yes?" Jack asked as they broke apart.

"Did you even doubt it? Of course yes," Ianto smiled and Jack pulled him into another kiss. They broke apart this time when another couple walked past, the girl wolf whistling in their direction as her boyfriend rolled his eyes at her.

"Can we still do the things you planned?" Ianto asked.

"I sort of rang and cancelled everything when I thought you weren't coming," Jack replied with a guilty look.

"We could stay here and watch the sunset," Ianto replied glancing up at the bridge, the sky slowly beginning to colour behind it.

"Sound's perfect," Jack replied. He moved so her was sitting on the floor with his back resting against the fountain, pulling Ianto down they settled with each other to watch the sunset.

"We could start planning our ceremony while we're sitting here." Jack suggested.

"Not right now, we can do that tomorrow, right now I just want to sit here with you."

* * *

FIN


End file.
